Automatic roaster



Jan. 10, 1950 A. G. THOMAS AUTOMATIC ROASTER Filed Jan. 15, 1945 Patented Jan. 10, 1950 This invention lrelates lto' cooki-ng'vessels' for roasting' meats", fowl', etc., and commonlyknown afsv roas'ters; The simplest form off roaster merely a deep pan provided with-'a tightly-fitting cover. However,v even these rudimentaryroastersv usually incorporate some design features.' which .are intended to iacilitate theA bastin'g process,- i. e. carrying' of* water' or' condensed vapors produced .duringl cooking `to 'thef exposed surface of thevroast'. Basting'is quitel desirable-since it 'helps Yto retain: the naturalv ilavor; moistur-eeand tender- .ness'ofthe :meatand results inasuperior roast.-

Arwidely followed :practice is torais'e the cover several times durin'gzf the oookingf periocl;V dip-up the.' quantity-t` ci thercooking liquid; which may be water, meat juices, or a combination thereof', romithepan and'pour it .over the roast'. 'Inaddition, toadditional Vburdenin'g` yofthe 'cook' who Tis iik-elyto; neglect more# or less thebasting operation; theY necessary opening of the f oven f andreimoval of the roaster'covercoolstheexposedsur face of the roast and results in unevencooking andpaf lengthening :of-the cook-inginterval;v

Forsthe above reasons aswell as others which bezapparent itsis recognizedtlsiat automatic bastingfwhich requires .nov attention whatever during the cookingperiod; is most desirable; This :isftrue: regardlessv .ofr'thesource` of cooking energy Whether; gas; electricity, or the equivalent: Vari'- ousfarrangementsi have'-A been proposed in the prior; art' for accomplishingxautomatic basti-ng. Without', enumerating- 'the' attendantV advantages and .disadvantages ofrprior'designs; itiis -sulcient here tonot'e thatno automatic bas-ter liasfieen'v available, possessing the simplicity, ectivenessg'.

ease-of cleaning, andlow cost necessaryfto win wide publicv acceptance.

Itf-is the prima-ry object of this inventionto provide an' automatic self-basting roaster exemplifyingginhigh degree the desirable featuresjust named.

Another'object'ofthis 'invention is' to provide a roaster oi the automatic, selffbasting type. inL Whichthebaster ismade. operative. orinoperativedependingl on Whether. the .roasterA cover. is .in

place or removed.

Another object: is' to provide automatic` bafster irrwhich theoperative:v parts within. the' roaster .are shielded: from Contact withnor: oli:- str-uction byftheiroast.' l Other objects andxadvantages of 'my'iinvention will be: apparent `vaszfthis: description proceedsand,

by;I` .referenceto accompanying; drawings; in Whih;u l

'Figure-Tis a sidecviewin section oflone'eorm of. my invention;

Figeac-:zV is wviewer Figure 1 looking from above andv with 'the rcover removed;

Figurey V3 'an enlarged; sectional view of" a modified" thermostati-flement and itsL mounting in 'the` roaster; and

Figure' 4 is a fragmentary side view, in'section, of a roast'er with anotlrer'formormyinventlon;

'Referring 'now' to Figure 1- '-tlierefis shown gens erallyat 1"'aro'aster h'a-virrgferlowerppan*N 2' andra cover 3* which preferably longitudinall-'yv in- -clinedi and usuallliiting' handle as sliown' at" I. ithe-virali off'tlie 'lowerpan4 '2, preferall'yv `tl'ie oottornportion -and "beneath theupper endl-ofthe inclined cover" 3'f'tt'1ereI isYK provided: an' aperturefi which Ais `closed "by-a bimetailic diskJG' pferipheralr mountedtliereirrinanysuitable manner; Other -bifmetai shapes magy-1I befused however. Such mounting'mayesas' sh'ownf in` Figure 4 forexample', wli'ereintlie periplieryoi" diskf'lis taperedat Tito' -nest"wi-thin a complementaryfrece'ss"8f formed in theA rir'noffaperture 5; A requirement'off'tlie mounting; iti'w-ill? 'berobservedg' is that'v 'the' 'bimetallicidis'kftmay-@be freefto'fsna-p "to its upper position and return to its lower position4 as shown m'lFignref inv response to aS temperature dinerental existingrbetween tl-ie inside' and" outsider'o *theroaster "if InA orderfto '-increase' the V transfer offlieatfrom ther-oven tor-tl'i'el Iii-metallic kdisk-li; a ruttonmrstripfsiof good"i heat-conductivityv such asi silver forrally, is-1sulitalily ainxed toKA 'the' een; tra] portion"thereofY ami*- in' the vrelation off' lthe part'srshownin Fig-uren rests on a heat conductL ing: plate il! lofsilver; coppenalloy; copper, vor tlie like; Plate` torti-ameri Iwli'iclf ris wel-dadi bolted orf rivetedlto pan 12? Baillo? |l21-disposed^-aboutithe aperture-5 and'servingto ysl-f'ell"tl'xeadiskf 6 from obstruction bytheroasr motzshown) furore leftfthereorfrrig:

downward fagain'.: when-it" Has .been cooled by' tlie':

lower temperature wtlirrtlieeroaster:

- gwenymraonr sareste piste- 'loiriti mi?.v lieutfanioondilctssititoi Uimetalelemento' is welded? orotiierwise fastened.

Yinto contact with plate I0.

.centrally at 9a toprovide a tact similar in function to contact button 9 of which snaps upward, thereby throwing liquid,

inner surface of cover 3. The liquid or juice trickles down the incline and drops off onto the meat at various points. Suitable channels or guides can be formed in the top. After an interval the bimetal element cools, since the inside of the roaster is much cooler than the outside, and the bimetal element snaps back to the position shown@ Plate lIllserves as al mean'sforcoriducting heat-'to the 'bimetal element when in contact therewith, and it also serves as a heat guard to shield the bimetal element from heat-.I

dripping of liquid to the roast. Spaced domeoutside the pan after the bimetal element has snapped out of contact with plate I0. Since any heat transmission to the bimetal element 'a from plate II] is at a much lower rate when the element and plate are Separated than when they are in contact, the bimetal element B is cooled by the cooler liquid when the element is separated from vth'elplate, so that the bimetal element snaps back v In Figure 3 I have shown a readily detachable, thermally insulated. .mount for the v,bim'etallic disk incorporatinglcertain refinements over the 'construction shown in Figure 1. A threaded ring "3 having a shoulder I4 is snugly encircled by an annular, thermally-insulating gasket I5 .such as asbestos, within the aperture 5 and receives the bimetallic disk E which isv maintained in position lby .the inner threaded-ring I6 screwed into ring I3 and the shoulder Ilia formed in that ring. Disk Illa, of silver alloy, copper, or the like is thickened heatl conducting con- Figure-l and is threaded into ring I3, the lower -outer surfaceof which .isalso threaded. A -threaded outer ring 'I8 serves to secure the ring I3 in engagement with -gasket l5. In addition to shielding the disk fromA direct heat transfer vfrom the wall vof, lower pan 2, the gasket and threaded mounting of Figure 3 facilitate quick assembly, disassembly and `replacement of the disk 6 and its retainers, and tends to prevent leakage. In this case diskl 5 comes directly in con- .I

tact with disk Illa.

In Figure 4 is shown the substantial embodi- "ment of Figure l but with Vthe addition of a lockout device arranged to lock the bimetallic disk 6 -.in its lower position when the cover 3 is removed. vThis feature eliminates all danger'of the vdisk snapping to its upper position and Ythrowing hot liquid out of the roaster when the cover is removed, as for inspection at the close ofthe cookfing period. In Figure 4l frame I I is provided w-ith an insert disc Inh-which is preferably Awelded thereto and is shown touching heat' conducting :button 9b which may be welded or riveted to bimetallic disk E centrally thereof, flexibility being maintained. The side wall of button 9b is .laterallyrecessed to provide a socket lgvadapted to receive a pin 20 guided by upright 2| which is xed to disk Illb. Pin 20, it will be observed, Vis the terminus of a curved rod 26 which extends Y ori-projection 25 of the cover 3 when the latter is in place as shown in Figure 4. When the cover 3 isremoved, spring zgyillfmove rod 25 an d .its pin 12H@ :thalef'-.i-,nto locking.- relaton witlrihe blib.-

4. ton 9b and thus prevent upward movement of disc 6. Socket I9 may be formed as an angular groove extending completely around the disk 9b z to ensure engagement by the pin 20 regardless of partial rotation of disk 6 in its mounting during use, if the disk is not welded.

As shown in Figure 1 the cover 3 is preferably inclined downwardly from the portion opposite the bimetal disc mounting so that the liquid thrown vertically upward against the cover will 'now downwardly to the lower end of the cover.

The inclined cover may be provided with various e'xpedients to insure a constant and uniform lpan 2. The thermostatic element may be placed in a well or inclined at anv angle to provide best `basting-action. Y

Since the oven temperature is often as much as 'degrees F. higher than the temperature in the roaster, the bimetal element will absorb heat readily from the elements I0, Illa, or IIlb and will become relatively cool when out of contact with one of the elements. This results in a periodic upward and downward snapping of the bimetal element so that meat juice or other liquid is thrown over the roast during most of the cooking period.

It is obviousthat other types of therm'ally responsive elements might be used and many other changesof detail can readily be made without departing from the scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

I' claim:

1. An automatic selfi-basting roaster comprising a lower pan adapted to receive roast and liquid, a cover for said pan, thermostatically operated means mounted in said'pan for project'- ing'liquid upwardly from said pan for basting said roast, `and locking means for rendering said first means ineffective when said cover is removed.

2. In a roasting pan, a snap-actionV bimetal element comprising a portion of a bottom surface of said pan and arranged to snap in a direction to throw liquid in said pan onto meat placed therein, when said element absorbs suf- -cient heat, said pan including a metal part positioned to be struck by said bimetal element to supply heat to said velement after it snaps into contact with said part as a result of'being cooled by said liquid, Vsaid .metal part serving as a heat guard between said bimetal element and a source of Iheat outside said pan, after said bimetal element has snapped out of contact with said metal part.

m3. In a roasting pan, a snap-action bimetal element associated with a surface of said pan to receive heat therefrom to cause said element to snap in a direction to throw` liquid in said "pan onto meat therein, and heat insulation means supporting said element out of metalliccontact with said pan after said element has snapped in 1 said direction, so that said element will be cooled by said liquid to snap into contact with said surface '.ag'ain, in .repeated cycles, said .surface serving as a.; hea tsguard :between said bimetal element and a source of heat outside saidpan',

after said bimetal element has snapped out of contact with said surface.

4. In a rotating pan, an opening in the bottom L of said pan, heat insulation means fastened to 'f said pan adjacent said opening, snap-action bimetal means for throwing uid in said pan onto meat contained therein, said bimetal means being supportedby said heat insulation means so that said bimetal means is out of metallic contact T" said bimetal means after said means snaps against said metal object as a result of being cooled by said liquid, a metalelement carried by said pan and positionedl to limit movement offsaid bimetal means after said means snapsvv against said metal element cooled by said liquid.

5. In a roasting device, a

ment comprising a portion of the bottom of said element receives suflicient heat, a part of said pan extending therebelow to form a well beneath"v y said heat responsive element, said part being arranged to stop the snapping movement of said, heat responsive element toward said part result?- ing from cooling of said element by said liquid and said part serving to impart heat to said element tocause it to snap in a direction away from said part.

as a result of being? pan for holding meatv and liquid, a snap-action heat responsive ele-fA 11- 6. In a device for moving liquid, a snap-action 1 ibimetal element in contact with said liquid, "means supporting said element for snap action, and a metal element of good heat conductivity comprising a part of said device and positioned to stop the travel of said bimetal element when snapping over due to cooling by said liquid, said .part serving to supply said bimetal element with heat from a source to cause the element to snap .in opposite direction to move said liquid.

ALBERT G. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS vNumber Name Date 910,31'8 Schaefer Jan. 19, 1909 0 .1,167,775 Miner Jan. 11, 1916 v1,245,712 Harper Nov. 6, 1917 1,349,302 Spitz Aug. 10, 1920 1,582,685 Pence Apr, 27, 1926 1,687,099 Laun Oct. 9, 1928 25- 1,767,709 Smith June 24, 1930 1,947,282 Smith Feb. 13, 1934 1,977,486 Louis Oct. 16, 1934 2,111,609 Bolesky Mar. 22, 1938 'r 2,141,775 Varley Dec. 27, 1938 30. 2,196,393 Ire1and Apr. 9, 1940 2,329,116 Hellman Sept. 7, 1943 `2,342,108 Appleman Feb. 22, 1944 2,402,997 Grayson July 2, 1946 

